Camouflage

Many animals' bold coloration is actually very effective camouflage in their native habitats. For example, the bold black and white stripes of a zebra help it blend invisibly into the tall grass of the African savannah. Here we see the Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) in its natural element, and realize that the bold yellow spotting, which otherwise might have been misattributed to aposematic coloration (ie, warning predators that it is poisonous) is actually a marvelously fine-tuned camouflage mechanism.

This is the same large adult salamander seen in this photo -- click for real info. :-)